22 Feared Dead In Remote, Mountainous Jungle

Conservation crews working on a nearby mountain reported seeing a plane crash in a thick forest Monday in Cambodia.

It's believed to be a Russian-made An-24 charter aircraft, carrying 22 passengers, that was enroute from Siem Reap to the coastal city of Sihanoukville, two popular Cambodian tourist destinations, said Him Sarun, Cabinet Chief for the Secretariat of Civil Aviation.

According to Sarun, rescue personnel had not reached the crash site as of nine hours after the aircraft disappeared due to thick mud from recent heavy rains, the remoteness of the site and nightfall.

"If we located the plane three or four hours after the crash, there might have been some hope of survivors who could have been taken to the hospital," Sarun said." But since it is going to be a whole night passing without finding it, even if there had been any survivors, they could die from loss of blood."

Nhim Vanda, vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, confirmed the search was suspended for the night and he feared there was little chance of finding survivors, according to the Associated Press.

The flight is thought to have gone down between Kamchay and Bokor mountains, about 80 miles southeast of Phnom Penh, said Sarun. The aircraft belongs to PMT Air, one of three An-24s in the small carrier's fleet.

The country's last major aircraft accident occurred in 1997 when a Vietnam Airlines Tu-134B went down at Phnom Penh International Airport killing 65 people. One child survived.

A Siem Reap official told reporters thirteen South Koreans, three Czechs and a crew of five Cambodians and a Russian co-pilot. The plane lost contact five minutes before it was due to land, said the official, who asked to remain anonymous.

FMI: www.pmtair.com, www.cambodia.gov.kh